The Patriot by R.J. Patterson

Author:R.J. Patterson [Patterson, R.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: thriller, espionage
Publisher: Green E-Books
Published: 2021-10-28T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

Hirkan National Park

Azerbaijan

TITUS BLACK FELT THE burning sensation in his chest as he raced toward the car. The lack of response from Katarina troubled him, but he couldn’t go back for her—not yet, anyway. Despite his willingness to charge into any situation, even he understood there were limits to his courage. He didn’t stop until he reached the car. As he retrieved the keys and unlocked the door, Black tried to reach her again.

“Katarina,” Black said, “please update me with your status. Do you have the pit?”

The passenger side car door swung open. Black grabbed his weapon, training it on the person getting inside. He dropped his gun when he realized it was Katarina.

“Thank God you’re safe,” Black said. “Did you get the pit?”

She smiled and patted the bag in her lap. “It’s safe in here. But I suggest you get us out of here. We don’t have long before Toussaint’s men will be here.”

Black threw the SUV into drive and stomped on the accelerator. The car kicked up dirt before the tires caught, and it went tearing down a gravel road.

“What happened back there?” Black asked. “I kept trying to reach you on the coms.”

“When I was trying to escape, it fell out of my ear. I was just hoping to find you at the car when I got back.”

Black glanced in his rearview mirror. He didn’t notice any vehicles in pursuit—only a trail of dust.

“How did you get away?” Black asked. “It sounded like you were trapped.”

She held up a small canister. “Never underestimate the power of a good flash bang.”

“That’s it?”

“When you create chaos, you can get away with just about anything,” she said. “I learned that in my FSB training. It applies to physical chaos as well as political chaos.”

Black grunted. “There must be a whole section on that in the playbook for politicians.”

“Between you setting all those vehicles on fire and my small explosion, that created enough of a distraction for me to escape.”

“And with the pit, too.”

Katarina nodded. “We got what you came for, though I would’ve liked the opportunity to confront Toussaint myself and let him know what I thought about him.”

“We can confront him another time.”

“I know,” she said. “But we’ve come this far and to be this close—it’s disappointing.”

Black hummed along the winding roads as he made his way out of the park. They rode in silence before an uneasy feeling came over him. His blank expression gave way to one marked by lines on his forehead and anguish in his eyes. And Katarina noticed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You look disturbed.”

“I am,” he said.

“About what?”

“Hasn’t this whole operation seemed rather easy to you?”

Katarina shook her head. “You weren’t the one being shot at.”

“But nobody is even pursuing us.”

“Didn’t you set off explosives on all those vehicles?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“How do you expect them to come after you?”

Black sighed. “I don’t know. There’s something that just seems off here.”

As soon as he rounded the corner, he saw a dark SUV speeding toward them.

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